Table game top insert for changing contour of table game surface

ABSTRACT

A table game normally for four players which is adaptable for use with two or more players, up to four, by the insertion of playing surface adapter pieces that transform the game board into a usable item for a fewer number of players than normal. The game board has goals or pockets and inclined surfaces leading to each of the goals. The insert disclosed herein provides a false floor so that at least one of the surfaces normally leading to the goal will be changed to a surface to urge a game piece to roll toward the goals in use, when less than the full number of players are playing the game.

[451 June 13, 1972 TABLE GAME TOP INSERT FOR CHANGING CONTOUR OF TABLE GAME SURFACE [72] Inventors: Charles F. Foley, 3908 Merriam Roadf Minnetonka, Minn. 55343; Charles D. Mc- Carthy, Route 3, Box 2178A, Deephaven, Minn. 55391 22 Filed: July 13, 1970 21 Appl.No.: 54,508

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 7 3,064,978 11/1962 Burch ..273/1 19 R 3,537,707 11/1970 Goldberg ..273/85D OTHER PUBLICATIONS Playthings March, 1960 P. 10 Vol. 58, No. 3

Primary Examiner-Richard C. Pinkham Assistant Examiner-Marvin Siskind Attorney-Dugger, Peterson, Johnson & Westman ABSTRACT A table game normally for four players which is adaptable for use with two or more players, up to four, by the insertion of playing surface adapter pieces that transform the game board into a usable item for a fewer number of players than normal. The game board has goals or pockets and inclined surfaces leading to each of the goals. The insert disclosed herein provides a false floor so that at least one of the surfaces normally leading to the goal will be changed to a surface to urge a game piece to roll toward the goals in use, when less than the full number of players are playing the game.

4 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJun 13 I972 3. 669 .452

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l NVEN TORS 2 CHARLES F. POLE) BCYHARLES D- M: CART/1') TABLE GAME TOP INSERT FOR CHANGING CONTOUR OF TABLE GAME SURFACE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to improvements in table games wherein an existing table game can be adapted to be played by fewer than the usual number of players.

2. Prior Art The present device is an improvement on the game shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,064,978. In the game shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,064,978 a lightweight ball is used, and pivoted, swinging paddles are operated to try to knock the ball into an opposing players goal or pocket. The game board utilized is made so that there are four surfaces sloping toward four separate pockets. Four people were required in order to play, or else the ball would go into the unattended goals and the game became unplayable.

The present device presents an improvement to modify this so that two, three, or four people can play the game.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an insertable panel that can be placed onto an existing table game to make the unit playable by two or more persons instead of the full number of people for which the game was designed. The improvement comprises a panel that may be slightly crowned in the center, and which overlies the provided inclined surface of the game board. The provided surface of the game board slopes toward a pocket or goal. The panel of the present invention provides a surface that slopes toward the center or other active playing areas. Thus instead of having the ball go into the unattended goal or pocket, the ball will return back onto the active playing surfaces. In effect the insert panel makes the playing surface active on all parts of the game board. The insert panel has small tabs for holding it in place on the game board, and legs for positioning its upper surface at the desired slope to return the game balls to the active playing area. The insert protects the existing unused pockets so that the ball, which normally would go into the unattended pocket because of the inclined surface leading toward the pocket, will instead roll off the surface of the insert and return to the active playing area. The device is simple to make, and makes the game usable by two or more players when the full number of four is not available.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a top perspective view of a table game board made according to the present invention showing the improvements installed thereon;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one of the ball return inserts showing it partially in place;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken as on line 33 in FIG. I; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of an improved paddle or ball bat used with the game of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The game board shown in FIG. 1 is substantially the same type of board as that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,064,978, with the exception that the present board is molded plastic and therefore changes somewhat in construction. However, as shown, the board has a peripheral rim or wall member 11 that is upstanding and extends around the entire board, four playing pockets or goals 12, 13, 14 and 15, respectively, which are formed in the plastic, and are not the net pockets shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,064,978. The board surface or playing area indicated generally at 16 again is divided into four separate segments. A high center point 17 is provided, and each of the four playing surfaces 12A, 13A, 14A and 15A are normally made so that they slope from the high point 17 toward their respective pocket, with a small valley or shallow V shape leading from the center of the board to the center of the pocket just as in the before mentioned U.S. patent.

Divider lines 18 extend along from the center point I7 out to lateral edges to divide the area into four playing areas, each with a surface leading toward a pocket or goal.

Paddles illustrated generally at 20 are utilized for the playing of the game. These include a shaft 21 that is slidable in its axial direction and also rotatable, and is retained for this movement through suitable retainers 22. The paddles may be slid back and forth to protect individual player's pockets, and a paddle member 23 is attached to each shaft. The paddle members 23 are improved in the present form of the invention, as shown in FIG. 3, and include a center planar plastic member fixed onto the shaft 21 having a ball or playing piece seat 24 defined therein, and side legs 25 that are also joined to shaft 21 and will help to guide and retain the ball in place on the ball seat for serving as shown in FIG. 4.

As disclosed, a lightweight ball 26 is used as a playing piece. The game is played by hitting the lightweight ball with the paddles until the ball goes into the opposers pocket or goal, or until it is batted off the game board. The score is kept by subtracting points from a total when the player permits the ball to enter into the pocket or goal which he is protecting, or if a player knocks the ball off the table, then he is deducted a point too. The indicia shown adjacent each pocket is adjacent small holes in which pegscan be placed for keeping score, if desired. The board itself, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,064,978 was playable only with four people. If any of the goals were unattended, the ball would constantly be going into that goal and get off the playing surface.

In order to make the game playable with two or three players, the present improvements have been advanced. A panel insert member 30, which is made of a somewhat flexible material, such as a light cardboard or flexible plastic, is of size to substantially overlie each of the sloping game playing surfaces 12A, 13A, 14A or 15A. The insert panels are identical, and can be used over any of the playing surfaces 12-15 if desired, depending upon which one is not in use by other players.

As shown, the panel members 30 include triangular or tapered side legs (see FIG. 3) 31, a top playing surface 32 and a comer support leg 33. The side legs are tapered from a point adjacent the center parts of the game board to their highest part adjacent the pocket they are used with, as shown in FIG. 3.

The support leg 33 as shown is made to fit inside the respective pocket the insert is used with, as shown here in pocket 15. The insert panel surface 32 then overlies the playing area 15A, and is slightly convex on its upper surface so that it will present a surface from which the ball will roll downwardly toward the center member 17 or toward the high lines. The corner support leg 33 keeps the panel high enough at the pocket end so that there is a definite slope toward the center part of the playing board 17, and further, a slight crown in the center makes sure that the ball will either roll toward the high point 17 or back toward the actual playing area.

Tabs 34 are provided along the side edges of the panel 30, and these fit into provided slots 35 defined in each of the playing surfaces adjacent the dividing lines 18 between it and the next adjacent surface. The tabs thus fit into the slots and hold the panels 30 in proper position so that the playing piece or ball will roll down these panels in toward the center of the playing area.

As shown in FIG. 1, when two people are to play the game, the panels 30 are placed over the playing areas 13A and 15A and the playing areas 12A and 14A are utilized. The game can now be played by two people. In starting out, the ball 26 is served as shown in FIG. 4 by putting the ball in the provided ball seat 24 on the paddle and flipping it out onto the board. This playing paddle permits the serving in this manner. The playing paddle is a swinging paddle rotatable about the axis of the shaft 21 to which it is attached, and thus the ball 26 can be served readily out onto the playing surface. If the ball rolls onto the panels 30 on either of the inactive playing surfaces, the ball will merely roll off the sloping surface 32 back onto the active playing areas 12A and 14A. Then the game fewer than four players. The panel insert members 30 can be stored easily, made easily, and when the tabs 34 and slots 35 are engaged the insert members are held positively in place to provide for a sloping surface for returning the balls from the inactive playing areas onto the playing field.

What is claimed is:

l. A game apparatus including a game board having a periphery, a raised portion at the center of the board, said board being inclined downwardly from the center toward the periphery at a plurality of locations, grater than three, said board having goal means at each location to which the surface is inclined, a game piece comprising a rolling member for use on the board, and a game piece batting member pivotally mounted upon said game board adjacent each of the goal means for batting said rolling member away from the goal means, the improvement comprising means to permit playing of the game by people of less than the number of goal means on the game board comprising an insert member, said insert member having an upper surface, and cooperating means on said game board and said insert member to position said insert 7 member in a desired location adjacent the desired goal means,

said cooperating means positioning said insert member so that the upper surface of said insert member inclines away from said desired goal means toward the raised portion of the game board to return said rolling game piece to portions of said game board other than said desired goal means when said game piece rolls onto said insert member.

2. The combination as specified in claim 1 wherein said cooperating means comprise cooperating slot and tab means between said game board member and said insert member, said insert member carrying said tab means.

3. The combination as specified in claim 2 wherein said cooperating means includes support legs fastened to said insert member and adapted to rest on said game board, said legs beingof configuration to position said insert member so that the insert member inclines downwardly toward the center portion of said game board from the goal means associated with said insert member.

4. The game board of claim 3 wherein said goal means comprise pockets formed adjacent the periphery of said game board. 

1. A game apparatus including a game board having a periphery, a raised portion at the center of the board, said board being inclined downwardly from the center toward the periphery at a plurality of locations, grater than three, said board having goal means at each location to which the surface is inclined, a game piece comprising a rolling member for use on the board, and a game piece batting member pivotally mounted upon said game board adjacent each of the goal means for batting said rolling member away from the goal means, the improvement comprising means to permit playing of the game by people of less than the number of goal means on the game board comprising an insert member, said insert member having an upper surface, and cooperating means on said game board and said insert member to position said insert member in a desired location adjacent the desired goal means, said cooperating means positioning said insert member so that the upper surface of said insert member inclines away from said desired goal means toward the raised portion of the game board to return said rolling game piece to portions of said game board other than said desired goal means when said game piece rolls onto said insert member.
 2. The combination as specified in claim 1 wherein said cooperating means comprise cooperating slot and tab means between said game board member and said insert member, said insert member carrying said tab means.
 3. The combination as specified in claim 2 wherein said co-operating means includes support legs fastened to said insert member and adapted to rest on said game board, said legs being of configuration to position said insert member so that the insert member inclines downwardly toward the center portion of said game board from the goal means associated with said insert member.
 4. The game board of Claim 3 wherein said goal means comprise pockets formed adjacent the periphery of said game board. 